Hinge.



No. 647,905. Patented Apr. l7, I900. D. ROCHE HINGE.

' (Application filed Apr. 10, 1899.)

(N o Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

DAVID ROCHE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT II. BATES, OF SAME PLACE.

H/INGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 647,905, dated April 17, 1900. Application filed April 10, 1899- Serial No. 712,490. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, DAVID ROCHE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hinges, of which the following is a f ull,clear,and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide a self-closing hinge suitable for doors. I find I can accomplish this result very satisfactorily by making the hinge-pintle rigid with one of the leaves and forming a helical groove entirely surrounding it and a cooperating groove in the barrel of the other hinge member and placing balls in the raceway thus formed,

which entirely surround the pintle and relieve the friction in all directions.

I am aware that self-closing hinges have been heretofore devised having cooperating inclined grooves and a ball rolling between them; but this prior device has not had the groove entirely surrounding the pintle, and the single ball employed has not operated to relieve the friction in all directions.

My invention consists in the means I employ, as above mentioned, and more specifically in the embodiment hereinafter described, all of which is definitely specified in the claims.

In the drawings which clearly disclose my invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly sectional, of the hinge when open. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the member of the hinge I which carries the pintle; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through thehinge, being on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the parts by letters, A represents the member of the hinge which is intendedtobe securedto the jamb. Itconsists of the leaf a and the barrel a integral therewith and having on its inner surface the helical groove M, which makes something more than a complete convolution, preferably abouttwo convolutions. 13 represents the other member of the hinge, having the leaf b and the rigid pintle b, secured in place by being forced into the boss or barrel integral with the leaf, and being additionally secured by the key If. Surrounding the pintle below the barrel b is the helical groove 19 which makes, preferably, about two complete convolutions.

In the raceway formed by the cooperating grooves a b are a set of balls O, which entirely surround the pintle, and thus not only receive the downward thrust, but also all the lateral thrust, and the raceway continues beyond the space which the balls take sufficiently to allow room for them to travel when the hinge is open. This is an important niat- 6o ter, as if the balls only partially surrounded the pintle they would jam against the opposite side of the barrel a and cause sufficient friction to prevent the efficient operation of the hinge, and if there was not room enough for them to roll the hinge could not of course open without the pintle sliding on the balls, which is also to be avoided. 'For the hinge to make a half-turn, which is all that is ordinarily required, the additional rolling space for the balls need be only a quarter-turn; but

as it is desirable for the hinge to be able to entirely open the effective raceway should be at least one and one-half convolutions. To allow leeway, I prefer to make the raceway about two complete convolutions. When the door is open, the balls and raceway operate as a screw-thread and raise the door, and hence gravity tends to swingit shut at a constant rate, no matter what its position.

A stop in the form of a screw 00" is set into the barrel a near the upper end after the balls are in place, to lock the hinge members together by preventing the balls rolling out if the parts are inverted.

In order to give the door an additional start to close from its extreme open position, I provide another hinge memberD, having the leaf (Z and the barrel d, which barrel takes loosely over the upper projecting end 12 of the pintle. A helical spring E lies around this upper end of the pintle within a recess (1 in the barrel al and a recess 11 in the barrel This spring may be loosely in place, relying on its compression to aid gravity, or it may, as shown in the drawings, have one end secured to the barrel b and the other to the barrel d by having projecting ends, which take into holes b and In this construction the spring may be easily adjustable by having several of theholesd the upper end of t-he spring..being caught v in the'desired hole according to the position of the member Dibe fore it is secured to the jamb. A buffer resisting the closing action of the 3 hinge as it is just about to come into'final a ,positiomand thus. preventingslainming of the the lower end of the barrel a. This plug may support a rubber cushion G, adjustable by screwing in or out the plug and locking'it by the jam-nut H, or, if desired, the cushion may be pneu1natic, a suitable orifice being provided for the escape of air. -=-The head of r 5 the plug is preferably made in an ornamental form, as theball f.

Inorderto form either. a buffer to receive ith npening gthrust, ofthe hinge, or an abso- I lutejstopflinriting,the. same, Iscrewinto the ornameutalheadj, and let it standiuthepath the'ipintle b, c When the door has opened.

L,,1 0cks;t-he plug in its desi'red'position. ,Jf ntlle 'pl ug is screwed down tight, the door may 3; b here y l k d h i I In hinge, in combination, ,two leaves,

tle,;cqoperatipg helical grooyesarou-n dthe I rfinr ace ofil heibarrel andihe outer sinb'allawithingthe raceway .th us formed and r 11 L1 ally sidescrihed- I I e. ber hayingabarrel another hinge. memhaying, appintle, extending into the, barazracewaytf rm dbyrc bpe at ng, helical the innersurfaceofthe barrel, said raceway making atleast one, a d' one-fourth co y lu tionsfabout ,thepintley balls ins d raceway z,suflicienttoycoinpletely surround the pintle 5,,WhBrebythehih maybeppenedpnehum dred and eighty 1 degrees without therbal-lspas s i ng out; of ,the raceway, and, means for .151;9Yiltitlg.thelballs rolling out ofjthe race-o Waydtsthe ing is invverte ,s bst n ia yas 5 5, d. escribed. I

I In,a hinge, in; combination, a pair of leay'qes, one carrying,a,barrel, theother a pin-: .1119, cooperating helical grooves. on the inner surface of the barrel and the outer surface of 6ot1 Q .pintle, b'alls rolling in the racewayithus "f formed, 'and a plug screwing into theendof zI-thQjbfiJZ-I'Ql and operating to retard the clos-' ingimovement of the pintle, substantially. as .described. The combination of a pair of hingemem-i c'cnshionKmay bebetween ,theplug, and I qthe pintleto,cushionhthis stop. The jamrnut 0 them having a ,barrelan thelorh era fiibhe. pintlwsa d grooves; making some: ,o g: over, a complete. convoluti n, and. asset grooves, o itheouter'surfaceof the pintle and '7,

bers, one having a barrel and theflother a pin- :tle, extending into, said barrel, cooperating helical grooves on the innersurface of the barrel and the outer surface of the pintle, and balls in said grooves, a plug screwing into the barrel, and an elastic cushion held by the plug -;within theibarreli n adjustable position, subdoor, is provided by a plug F, screwing into jstantially, as described.

5. In a hinge, a pair of cooperating members connected together by a helical thread whereby 'asihe members open one of them rises, a third member, and anadjustable stop carried thereby and limiting suchrising movement; substantially as described.

6.1 111 a ,hinge, in combination, a pair of .hinge members connected together by a helical thread whereby'as ,the rhinge. ppensone .menlber rises, a pair of plugs operating to limit, the longitudinal movement :ofxsaid rising, member, one! of .said plugs thus-limiting :theppening,movement, of the. hinge and ,the other the closing, movement, substantially as ;described. i

7; In a, hinge,rin. combination, il evmember B, having a barrel biand a ,pintle b, which proje'cts beyond ,eachendof the barrel,, a memberxA, haying a barrel a, a;-.helical raceway :ofor-medjpartlyjn thebarrel af; and partlyiin hon eDf ithe projectinglends of the pintle,iballs v .iinmsaidracew y, a l eme her Drhaving a ngltlQScribed myinyention, I .;c l-aim.--

ibar l-d5,intdwhicnth th rprpiectingend 2lof thev pintle. takes,.,a,.springflE surrounding said projecting end, and lyingwithinsaid,barrel '01, substantially as, described. 7

n ahing i i'n omb nation, a member A hearing abarr c, amemberB, having. ag intle [if/Landv barrel b inwhiehis a'el tecess b V there bjeing;.vcobperatingghelical, grooyes in ing clear, aroundthe pintl e,,su.bstanlithe rbarrel, a, andtnth pintle,,balls in, said grooves, a hinge ember Dhaving ab rrel d In: a hipg epthe combination of a. hinged in whichtis agrecess d .&nd anspringiE lying in, both, of, said recesses. 01 and. b substam ,tiallyasidescribed.

. 9;, In a, hinge, in combination, a niemberiA having abarrel a", a member Br having a-pintle b projecting in each direction, there being cooperating helical groovesformedin thetbarrel or; and; on oneofi,theprojectingportions of zthepintle,balls,rollinginsaid grooves, a member D having a barrel taking-loosely over the ,other projecting portion of ithe pintlm, and a spring aronndflsaid projectingportion,within said barrel (1, said spring halving an upturned endtaking into.,one\of a fpluralitydfholes d ,in-said barrel, wherebythe. force .of the sprin g may .be. adjusted by naming the hole with :(which said upturned 7 end, 7 en gages, substan .tially as described.

,In testimony whereof I. hereunto, affix my signature in the presence of two ,witnesses.

r DAVID ROGHE.

' Witnesses ALBERT BATES,

, PHIL1P,E.- KNOWLTON. 

